So, do I get a participation ribbon or something?

[3chickchicks]

I went to collect eggs tonight and found a motionless chicken on the nest. I got a flashlight and looked again.
I poked her and the noise which emanated from her confirmed my suspicions. It was obvious to me. She has become possessed.

I placed her on the roost. It's too dark for her to figure out how to get down and back to the nest. I guess tomorrow I'll see what she's up to and if she is still possessed, I guess I'll be performing an exorcism via rabbit cage.

Maybe one day I'll let her hatch some chicks but now is not the time or place.
Until then, being that these are my first chickens, I'll eagerly await my badge of broody honor.

 

[chooks4life]

lol!

Quote: Don't be too sure. I've had the odd hen I am pretty sure had night vision.

That's as close as it gets to a ribbon around here.

 

[3chickchicks]

So what is this, a "half broody"? And how do I deal with it?

She never found her way back to the nest last night. This morning she acted normal, was down in the run and waiting to go out. She stayed out with everyone all morning.

Egg laying has begun and two others laid. I went out and there she was, on the nest and flattened out, growling and fluffing if I got near her. So I booted her out and chased her away from the nest. I opened up the doors so the nest now has sunshine. She hasn't been back yet.

She's not full on broody but trying. Do I still do the rabbit cage in this case?

Maybe it's a case where if I go and buy a cage, she'll snap out of it by the time I get it home, lol!

 

[3chickchicks]

Weird. A board with so many members and no answers.

I'll figure it out on my own then.

 

[Ren2014]

I don't know the answer but would like to hear what you find out. Post in the Texas thread and I am sure you will get an answer

 

[Teila]

G'Day

I have a Bantam Langshan who goes broody for a couple of hours every time she lays an egg.
After she lays an egg she marches outside and announces to the whole neighbourhood that the new egg has arrived. Even, if I take the egg away immediately she returns to the nest box and sits on the empty nest growling and pecking all space invaders for about 2 hours. Then she simply goes back to being the sweet little girl she normally is.

Doesn't matter is you leave the egg there or take it away; she does this regardless but only for 2 hours or so and only after she has laid an egg. She is just over 12 months old and has never actually gone full-broody.

 

[3chickchicks]

I broke her in less than 24 hours.

She must not have been that determined or maybe I caught her early enough. So the night I discovered her, I put her on the roost. She acted normal the next day but that afternoon, she went back to the nest. So I kicked her off of it and chased her back to the others. Later that day she had gone back and I kicked her off again, then opened the coop doors and the top of the nest box so that sunlight entered. She looked at it but didn't want to nest. BTW, she is one of my best egg squatters. If you get near her, she'll about trip you doing her egg squat. She wouldn't egg squat at all.
Anyway, she slept on the roost that night. I kept an eye on her as well as keeping everything lit really well. She is back to her normal self for the most part. She isn't squatting yet but she's not staying in the nest.